Bucks, Bulls and Hunting Traditions with Nick Mundt

October 18, 2018

In a stroke of luck, Nick Mundt drew a tag to hunt mule deer in a highly coveted area of Arizona. Arizona Strip Unit 13B holds some of the highest scoring mule deer bucks in the world and as such, it is highly sought after. While the muleys that inhabit this unit are trophy worthy, the hunt itself is tough. The unit is huge, the mule deer herds are widely scattered throughout, and it can be difficult to pinpoint their locations which in many cases results in hunters coming up empty handed. Even tougher than tackling the expansive terrain and tracking down these Arizona giants is what it takes to draw a tag which comes down to a less than 1% chance.

Tune in as Nick Mundt, co-host of “Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector” on Outdoor Channel, Sundays at 10:30 pm ET, joins us to talk about this incredible hunt. Nick says that the mule deer in this unit are big with great genetics and this can largely be attributed to the strict management practices in place. There aren’t a lot of tags available and Nick says this is one of those places that you may never get drawn noting some people have been putting in for a tag for more than 20 years and have never been drawn. The hunt itself was tough, covering rugged and tough terrain and Nick says hunting with an outfitter that knew the area well was an advantage. Throughout the hunt Nick says that he passed up several opportunities to shoot 180 and 190-inch bucks and had seen a couple of 200-inch bucks, but none that he could get a shot at. While stalking a 200-plus inch muley, Nick says they stumbled upon the buck he ultimately ended up shooting. It was a buck that his outfitter had seen before and had trail camera photos of in 2014, 2015 and 2016, but they hadn’t seen him since. First spotting him at a little over 100 yards, Nicks says they made their way through the brush and he ended up making a 64 yard shot that double lunged the 226-inch muley. Listen in as Nick reflects on this hunt as well as the time and effort he has spent trying to get a 200-inch deer and having it now be a reality.

This mule deer hasn’t been the only great thing to come from Nick Mundt’s fall hunts. He’ll also talk about hunting elk with his dad at the Navajo Nation. A yearly tradition, the Bone Collector crew does a youth hunt with twenty Navajo kids who have never hunted before. They outfit those kids with tents, sleeping bags, camo, boots, optics and other gear and then take them on a youth hunt. Nick says that everyone gets to shoot a deer to fill their freezer for the winter and it also gives them the opportunity to get kids involved in the outdoors, get them out of the house, off of devices and for these kids, a chance to explore their Navajo heritage. In return, the Navajo Nation gifts the Bone Collector crew a couple of mule deer and elk tags. Nick says that Michael Waddell had planned to hunt elk with him, but when something else came up he encouraged Nick to invite his dad instead. It ended up being a trip Nick says he’ll never forget where he shot a 360-inch bull and his dad took a 332-inch bull. He’ll talk specifically about his dad’s bull and the stalk they made as the bull hung out in a lake and then went to wallow before ultimately being dropped in his tracks.

Finally, Nick will talk about hunting and taking from it what you want. For him, Nick says that he loves shooting big bucks and bulls, however, just having fun and enjoying the experience is often times lost today. He explains that the Bone Collector crew tries to show what hunting is meant to be and the tradition surrounding it rather than focusing solely on one big animal. Hunting Texas right now, Nick says there are a lot of great deer out there, but he’ll be happy shooting an average mature buck, he isn’t hung up on only taking record breakers. When score is the only thing that matters, Nicks says that hunters often lose sight of what hunting is really about, the experience is lost to a score. Nick says that he is an advocate of taking out of hunting what you want from it. If it’s meat you are after, that’s great. If it’s mature animals only you are chasing, that’s fine too. Hunting is what you make of it, Nick says. It’s not for the elite, not for those who are physically fit – it’s for everyone. Listen in as he talks about keeping the hunting tradition alive and how conservation efforts from dedicated outdoorsmen and women have led to the exceptional hunting we are able to experience today.

Travis Ferguson

Trav is a small town kid driven by hunting, fishing, rock/honky-tonk music, cold beer and his wife and kids. Being raised in a rural area surrounded by wildlife and lacking the luxurious amenities of big city life might be challenging to some; however, to Trav, it was an utter blessing. From his inception on, Trav has spent his life outdoors, he was taught at a very young age to hunt and fish and over the years these skills have molded him into a self-sufficient outdoorsman that strives to live a sustainable and God fearing lifestyle. When Trav isn’t behind the mic he’s either in the woods or on the water sharing his passion and love for the outdoors with his family and friends. So, don't bother searching for him online and you couldn’t pay him to own an iPhone, but let me reassure you of this: If there’s hunting and fishing, cold beer on tap and shaving isn’t required, he’s certainly not too far. What you see is what you get with Trav and to sum him up is simple, he doesn’t ask for a lot and he’ll never need much, a rifle, a bow, the love of his good looking wife and to be all that his children will ever need!

I took mu biggest muley this year to with my Hoyt he scored 198 1/8. I'v e been watching him for the last two years and I thought a car hit him this summer but it was this other buck we called lumpy because he had a growth on his back. That's a cool buck Nick and congratulations. You were good with Trav and Jim you should come back on soon.

That's a great mule deer buck Nick I've been dreaming of taking on like him. Last year I was chasing this decent 5 year old I'm guessing that scored green around 190. Well out of state hunters came in and chased him crossed property lines and put a bad shot under his spine above his flank. They searched for hours and count' find him and when some locals said they were going to call the cops they split. Well I was bailing hay this past June and I saw him in a cut right off the meadow. His rack was still intact but that was a shame. Pains me to think about it.

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The Revolution with Jim & Trav is a voice for the outdoors on the airwaves. The Revolution with Jim & Trav dominates the outdoor radio segment as the fastest growing nationally syndicated radio show and podcast dedicated to outdoor enthusiasts. This weekly radio show and podcast aims to accomplish a simple goal: to promote the participation in and enjoyment of outdoor activities, especially hunting and fishing.